Garment cover machine



Nov. l5, 1938.

M. MILLER GARMENT COVER MACHINE Filed June l5, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l mvuENToR.

ATTORNEY.

Nov.. 15, 193s., M. MILLER 2,136,703

GARMENI COVER MACHINE Filed June l5, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ff; i

INVENTOR,A

ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES param orifice 14 Claims.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic machine for placing a cover over the tops of garments such as dresses, coats, suits, uniforms, and the like, as they are manufactured, to prevent handling the garment by hand any more than necessary.

The invention is a machine in which a garment may be suspended on a hanger, and as the garment is placed therein the machine automatically wraps a cover around the upper end of the garment and secures the ends of the cover together, then expels the garment from the machine with the cover thereon; and the machine also counts each garment as the cover is placed thereon.

In manufacturing plants, garments of this type and particularly dresses are ordinarily covered by a small paper cover which is placed over the 'shoulder portions, and this cover is preformed so that it is necessary to hold the garment-with one hand, the paper in the other, and pass a hook of `a hanger upon which the garment has been placed upward through the opening in the paper, and this must be done without permitting the garment to touch the floor, so that with relatively long dresses it is rather difficult for a short girl to place this paper on the dress and, therefore, it has been found desirable to provide means for automatically placing this paper or cover, which may be also made of any material, on the dress or garment automatically, s o that it is only necessary for the girl or operator to hang the garment in the machine and then press a button to start the machine.

The object of the invention is, therefore, to provide a machine that automatically folds a garment cover over the garment.

Another object is to provide a device for placing garment covers upon garments with the upper edges thereof rolled instead of creased, providing more clearance for the garment on the inside.

Another object is to provide a machine for placing garment covers on garments which feeds the material for-ming the cover from a roll.

Another object is to provide a machine for placing garment covers on garments which feeds the material from a roll and in which the material in the roll is cut to a specific form so that a roll of material supplied by the owner of the machine only can he used.

A further object is to provide a machine for placing garment covers on garments in which the garments are counted as covered.

A still further object is to provide a machine (Cl. 93H2) for placing covers on garments which may be used for garments of different types.

And a still further object is to provide a machine for placing covers on garments which is of a simple and economical construction.

With these ends in View the invention embodies a machine supported upon a relatively high stand having a bar upon which the hook of a garment hanger may be placed with a garment suspended thereon, means supplying a stripof paper on the far side of the garment, a pusher adapted to push said garment against said sheet of paper and into a pocket provided therefor, folding blades adapted to fold the paper against the garment, sealing means adapted to crimp the ends of the paper cover together, a counter for counting each time the machine operates, means expelling the garments from the machine, and suitable mechanism for operating the respective parts.

This machine is particularly designed for ladies .if

a motor, or so that a garment may be placed upon a support and a cord pulled to draw the garment up into the cover. It will, therefore, be understood that this device is a machine for placing covers on garments and is designed to eliminate the operation of placing garments in these covers by hand, and the machine may be completely automatic, and parts thereof may be operated by hand, as may be desired.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description, taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation showing the general design of the machine.

Figure 2 is a view looking toward the finish end of the machine with the casing removed, and

with the folding arms and paper only shown.

Figur-e 3 is a detail showing the carriage upon which the operating parts are mounted in the working position with parts omitted and parts broken away, showing only the secondary cam f shaft and the rosette forming dies.

Figure 4 is a sectional plan of a machine with parts omitted and parts broken away.

Figure 5 is a cross section through the machine looking from one side thereof, with the side of the cover broken away. This ligure shows an alternate design in which the motor is enclosed in the case.

A Figure 6 is a cross section through the machine on a line substantially at the back with the back plate of the cover removed and with the base cut on a section approximately in the center of the machine.

In the drawings the machine is shown as it may be made, wherein numeral l indicates the carriage, numeral 2 the cover or case, and numeral 3 the paper.

The machine is constructed so that a dress or the like 4, on a hanger 5, is placed in an opening 6 in the case with the hook of the hanger placed over .a rod 1, and as soon as the garment is in place the operator may close a circuit through a button or switch 8 which will start the motor 9,

and this will move the carriage l over to the position indicated by the dotted lines IU, which will move the dress over to the position indicated by the dotted lines and this will force the dress against the paper 3, and at the same time force the paper into a pocket l2 in the section |3 of the case. As soon as a dress arrives in this position the paper is folded over the upper end of the dress and the ends are secured together. The carriage then returns to the position shown in Figure 5, and as the carriage returns it feeds an additional strip of paper down into one side of the opening 6. The paper is cut by a knife I4 as the carriage starts Vits original movement. After the dress is covered it remains upon a rod and as the operation is continued the dresses are moved along the rod i5, and this rod may be of any length or may extend to any point. Each time the machine operates it trips a counter I5 so that the counter indicates the number of dresses wrapped.

The carriage which is formed with two plates is slidably mounted in grooves I1 and |8 in a base plate I9 of the case, and this is moved backward and forward by levers 20 and 2| which are pivotally mounted on a rod 22. The lower end of the levers extend through o-penings 23 and 24 in the carriage I, and these levers are provided with surfaces 25 against which cams 23 and 21 bear, and as the cams rotate the levers are moved from the position shown in full lines in Figure 5 to the position indicated by the line 28 which moves the carriage to the position indicated by the dotted lines I9. The cam holds the carriage in this position for a certain period of time, and after the different operations have been completed the cams' release the levers 20 .and 2| and the springs 29 and 30 return the carriage to the position shown. Just as the carriage starts to return, however, a section 3| thereof drops downward out of the inside of the dress cover, and as soon as the carriage returns this part moves back into its original position. The part 3| is provided with a boss 32 at the upper end, andthe lower end is connected to a panel 33 positioned between the two plates of the base, and this panel is hinged upon a pin 34 at the rear of the carriage, and the panel is also provided with an extension 35 which extends upward engaging a cam 36 on a shaft 31, and this cam holds the extension 35, the panel 33, and the part 3| in the position shown in Figure 5 until the flat side 38 of the cam turns up and at this time the spring 39, which is attachedto the extension 35, and a bearing 4|),V draws the extension forward, thereby moving the panel 33 and the part 3| downward, and as hereinbefore stated, as soon as the carriage travels backward, the part 3| will be raised by the cam to the normal position.

The shaft 31 is driven from the shaft 4E, upon which the cams 26 and 21 are .also mounted, by gears 42 and 43, and the shaft 31 is connected to the shaft 4! by links 44 and 45. The shaft 31 is also mounted in slotted bearings 46 and 41 which permit the shaft to travel downward and then move upward to the position indicated by the dotted lines 49 as the carriage travels.

The shaft 31 continues to rotate with the shaft 4| and after the carriage arrives at the forward position as indicated by the numeral I0, a cam 49 on the shaft 31 engages a lever 50 which is pivotally attached to a rod 5| through a slotted hole 52, and this moves the rod 5| forward. The rod 5| is slidably mounted in bearings 53 and 54 and the outer end is curved .as shown at the point 55 in Figure 4, and as it moves forward it engages the back 56 of a plate 51 which is pivotally mounted on a pin 58 in an opening 59 of the section I3 of the forward part of the casing, and as the rod engages the back 58 it moves the plate 51 downward over the front of the garment, thereby folding the outstanding edge 59 of the paper downward against the face of the garment. As soon as the cam releases the lever 59 a spring 6| returns the rod 5l and a spring 62 returns the plate 51. At the opposite side of the machine is another rod 63 which is operated by a cam 64 through a lever 65, and this rod has an outwardly curved end 66 which engages a similar surface on another plate 61 similar to the plate 51, and operates this plate in a manner similar to that of the plate 51 in order to fold the paper on the opposite side of the garment downward over the face thereof. This plate is mounted and operated in the same manner as the plate 51 and a similar spring returns the plate to the normal position which is shown in Figure 2. After these plates have folded the paper downward over the iront of the garment .and over the boss 32 on the part 3|, the female die 68 on the end of a rod 59 is moved forward by a cam on the shaft 31, and as this die moves over the boss 32 it crimps the paper so that one end is secured over the other in the form of a rosette which projects outward in front of the garment. This rosette, therefore, holds the two ends of the paper together and at the same time provides a projecting cushion to space one garment from another. The rod 69 is mounted in bearings 49 and 1I and is returned by a spring 12 bearing against the inner surface of the bearing 1I and a pin 13 extending through the rod 69.

The carriage l, which consists of two similar plates with the panel 33 pivotally mounted between them, forms a complete base with the edges held in the grooves |1 and E8, and the two plates forming the sides of the carriage are rigidly held together by the bearings 4i) and 1| which may be bolted or welded through the plates. The panel 33 is supported on the pin 34, which extends into bosses forming hubs at the rear ends of the two plates of the carriage, and this is held upward by the cam 36 engaging the arm 35.

In this design the paper is supplied from a roll 3 mounted upon a shaft 14, and the paper is fed from the roll downward by feed rollers and 16, so that it hangs downward at one side of the opening 6. The feed rollers are mounted in shafts 11 and 18, and these may be covered with rubber sleeves 19 and 89, however, these sleeves A'may be made of any material, providing `a fric,- ition surface. 'These rollers are geared together by gears 581 Aand 812 and the Aroller t is provided with a gear B3 meshes with -a gear 84 having a gear 18'5 mounted therein, and thegear 85 meshes with :another gear i845 which may be rotated by fa lever BFI through a ratchet 88, and it Will be noted that the lever 181 extends downward into a pocket 89 on the carriage "I, 4and as the carriage moves forward the lever does not move the gears, however, 1as the carriage moves backward 'the lever rotates the gear v8b, and through the train of gears, operates the feed rollers a suicient distance to provide enough paper to form a cover.

It will be noted, theretore, that the paper is fed downward as the `carriage travels backward, and as the carriage -travels Lforward the edge i90 of the knife I4 mounted on the rod 1 through 'a vertical section 9-I moves `forward Vand 4shears the paper against a cutting edge 92. The rod I is slidably held in a bearing B3 and is moved forward by an arm 94 on the shaft 22 which engages the inner end 95 thereof. rod and the knife are returned `by a spring 4It yas soon as `they are `released by the arm 94.

l It will be noted that as the arm 194 moves the rod FI forward the end thereof engages the `end of the rod 1:5 and the hanger 5 is moved from the rod 'I to the rod `I 5, as the garment is moved into the pocket |12 `in the section I3 of the casing.

YThe entire machine may be covered by .the case 2, which may beef iany design, and the paper roll 3 may be supported in a bearing 591 extending upward from the case and may be covered by a cover 98 hinged to the upper side of the case at the point 99.

This machine is designed to 'use paper from a roll, and it is preferred to form the paper as shown in VFigure 2, with notches 100 at the sides, a slit IDI at the upper part of .the center, and an opening M12 connected with `the slitto clear the rod .or bar I5. As the machine operates the knife ldcuts the paper on the line 103, and as .soon as the machine carriage returns the paper is automatically fed by the feed rollers down toA the position shown vin Figure 42.

In the design shown in Figurel` the machine is mounted upon a stand formed by an upright member 104, with fa base plate |05 and this may be held in a boss |06 placed on the lower end of the case, which in this design is indicated by the numeral I IJ'I. It will be understood that the machine may be provided with a base of any type may be in the use of other means for folding the paper, another may be in the use of other means for securing the ends of the paper together, and still other changes may be in the use of any other mechanical movements for operating the different parts, as it will be. understood that these may be operated in any manner or by any means.

The construction will be readily understood from the foregoing description. In use the device may be provided as shown and described, and it will be noted that a dress or the like on a hanger may Ibe placed v`upon 1the rod 1, yand as `the machine is started the -pusher 3| will 4push the dress over again-st the paper 3, and the upper edges- -of the pa-per `will fold for Ebend outward as they engage the upper .edges of a pocket into which the dress is pushed, Aand then the plates 51 'andffl will alternately pass down over the front of the dress, folding the paper down =over the Ldresswith a roll Aat the upper edge. The part 68 will then force the apap-er over the part 32, forming a rosette or fastener, crimping the paper together at this point and thereby securing the ends. The parts will lthen .return to 'their original positions so that the machine is ready for the next dress which may readily be `placed therein.

As .hereinbefore stated, this machine may be adapted for ladies, childrens, misses, and jun- .iors dresses, coats, wraps, blouses, shirt waists, @or .for any :similar garments, such zas mens shirts, barbers coats, nurses uniforms, and .may also be used for heavy coats or any other similar garments.

'The 4paper is preferably cut as shown in Figure .2, so that the rolls of .paper cut in thisl manner are only adapted for use upon thismachine, however, it will be understood that the paper may be formed indifferent designs. It will also vbe understood that the paper may be provided in different colors with eac-h 4diiferent size. represented `by paper of a different color, and the different colors may be used consecutively on the same machine, or different machines may be provided 'with each machine having paper of a different color mounted thereon to designate a different size. scented, and the name `of the vmanufacturer may he printed thereon. `It will be understood that although one roll `of paper only is shown on the machine, any number of rolls maybe used thereon.

This machine fastens the. two ends of the paper by crimping one `over the other, and it will be understood `that any fastening means may be employed, and the fastening means may be arranged so that it may be opened and closed in order to `display the garment. It will also be understood that although the `fastening means is shown at only one point, similar means may be used at -diiferent points, or one on each side of the center, or the edges may be fastened together, as may be desired.

This machine has also been shown and described as being operated by a motor, and it will be understood that the shaft 4I may be turned by a crank or lever so that as a dress is placed in the opening 6 a lever may be pulled down and this lever may operate all of the parts in the proper sequence; and it will also be understood that any other means may be provided for manually operating the machine; or the machine may be arranged so that the dress may be placed on a movable hanger and the hanger may be drawn up into the casing with the paper, cloth, or other cover fed downward over the dress with the supporting means passing through an opening in the center of the top thereof. Therefore, although a complete machine is shown, it is understood that, as applicant is the rst to provide a machine for automatically placing paper covers on dresses, this invention. relates to any means for placing these paper or other covers on dresses or garments of any type.

It will be understood that although this machine has been shown and described as applying wrappers to dresses and garments, it may be also The paper may also be perfumed or used to apply a Wrapper or cover to Vother objects, such as a bunch of bananas or other produce, or, in fact, for any object, and, although the cover has been described as being made of paper, it may be made of Cellophane or any material.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A machine for forming covers on garments, having an aperture extending transversely therethrough with a garment receiving recess in the far side of said aperture, a support extending substantially across said aperture upon which garments may be suspended, means feeding paper to a position between the end of the support and the far side of the aperture, means for moving a garment against the paper, and the paper and garment into the recess in the far side of said aperture, the periphery of said recess bending the edges of said paper over the edges of said garment, and means folding the bent-over edges of the paper across the garment.

2. In combination with a machine as described in claim 1, means for securing the ends of the cover together.

3. In combination with a machine as described in claim 1, means for cuttingr the paper with each operation.

4. A machine as described in claim 1 in which the paper is automatically fed to the position adjacent the garment with the return movement of the machine.

5. A garment cover machine having a head with an opening therein into which a garment may be placed with the garment suspended on a hanger, said machine having a pocket in the far side of the opening, means for feeding material adapted to form a cover for the garment in front of the pocket, and means pushing the garment into the paper and the garment and paper into the pocket, and folding the paper over the garment.

6. A machine as described in claim 5 having means securing the ends of the paper together.

7. A machine as described in'claim 5, having means forming a raised portion in the open ends of the paper, providing means holding the ends together, and also means spacing the garments.

8. A machine as described in claim 5, having means feeding the paper as the machine operates.

9. A machine as described in claim 5 having means automatically feeding an additional strip of paper as the means pushing the dress into the pocket returns to its starting position.

10. A machine as described in claim 5A char- A acterized in that the means pushing the dress into the pocket comprises a carriage and the means for folding the paper is operated by the movement of said carriage, and the means for securing the ends together, is mounted on said carriage.

11. A machine as described in claim 5 having a member adapted to extend upward inside of the cover cooperating with a die for securing the ends of the cover together, and means whereby said means adapted to extend upward into the cover T .f

drops downward after the ends are secured together.

12. A machine as described in claim 5, characterized in that all of the parts are positively operated by cams and returned to the normal positions by springs.

13. A garment cover machine comprising a housing having a transverse aperture extending therethrough mounted upon a stand and positioned from the floor a sucient distance to permit hanging a garment in the said aperture therein, a bar extending into the said aperture upon which a garment may be suspended, said bar having an opening therethrough through which a sheet of paper may be fed, said housing having a 'Y recess in one side of the aperture thereof adapted to receive a garment suspended on said rod, means slidably mounted in said housing adapted to engage said garment to move the garment against a sheet of paper suspended in said aper- MORRIS MILLER. 

